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Networks take issue with US dramas on SBS

"They are now chasing the same programs and audience as us," say commercial networks.

Network bosses are unhappy with SBS and ABC moving further away from their Charter, with SBS under fire for its increased US content.

Seven’s Tim Worner, Nine’s Hugh Marks, TEN’s Paul Anderson and Foxtel’s Peter Tonagh have all weighed in recently on the public broadcasters seemingly moving in on their turf, with public funding in tow. They argue that covering the same terrain is not why the public broadcasters were set up.

SBS has recently screened, or is about to unveil, Fargo, Roots, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Good Fight, Outlander, The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, while its multichannels have aired Uncle Buck, The Brothers, Scarface, 8 Mile, Purple Rain and Batman reruns.

“It is clear they are now chasing the same programs and audience as us. They are not playing the distinct and special role set out for them in legislation. In particular the steadily growing amount of UK and US content on SBS does not seem consistent with its multicultural objectives,” Tim Worner told The Australian.

Hugh Marks said Nine was increasingly finding itself going head to head with SBS for content, which is raising prices.

“The landscape has changed so a full review of the role of public broadcasters in that landscape is a necessity. And this must include an update of their charters to reflect a more detailed social contract, including obligations around local content.”

But SBS has had to become increasingly nimble in its revenue raising after cuts in funding together with a knock back for plans to increase primetime ads. SBS On Demand is becoming a quiet achiever for the network, much to the concern of commercial rivals.

SBS has long-argued ‘multiculturalism’ extends beyond ethnicity, to include other cultures: gay, senior, youth, disabled and more. It says the broadly appealing titles help underpin its locally-distinctive titles.

In a statement it said, “Many of the programs identified would not have been considered by Seven and Nine, and these claims are only being made after seeing SBS’s recent success. SBS is bringing Australians more diverse content exploring cultures and celebrating diversity than it ever has before, including telling stories otherwise untold in the Australian media through its distinctive news and current affairs, our more than 70 in-language radio programs, and TV series such as The Family Law, Filthy, Rich and Homeless and upcoming drama Sunshine.

Marshall Heald, SBS Director of Television and Online Content, recently told TV Tonight, content was also chosen for its thematics.

“A show like The Good Fight, when you pick it apart, is about an affluent, white lawyer working in a black law firm and having to engage in a whole ecosystem that she has no experience with. So there’s a strong Charter alignment there,” he said.

“As an acquisitions network, and one of the few networks in the world with our kind of ‘purpose’, it’s very difficult for us to consistently acquire content that 100% meets our needs. We could really only do that if we had more local commissions.”

41 Responses

  1. I dont think anybody who has looked at the traditional media companies over the last several years at least will fell sorry for them. for starters all three commercial networks including foxtel have gotten help in one way or another by the federal government when it comes to them making money and being given the red carpet treatment when faced with competition. all the while SBS and ABC but in particular SBS’s funding has gone down repeatedly. Thats why they needed to take on Adverstising and maybe increase it at some future point. If the commerical Networks didnt want SBS “fighting for the same audience” then those Networks should have been paying there licence fees in full, not writing them down and devaluing them. if only all businesses could get this much support from the government.

  2. So much commercial TV hate on here yet combined they make up 75% of the FTA viewing.
    Must be the TV Tonight crowd don’t match the majority of viewers opinions….

    1. James I don’t think anybody is arguing against the broad numbers you are offering? I see people speaking to the topic at hand which you have not. I trust you would agree TVT has recently given oxygen to both sides of the argument.

      1. James, its not hate towards chs7,9 and 10. It’s hate towards the arrogant executives and the contempt they have towards the viewers. It’s hate towards the hypocrisy of their arguments about this particular issue. They move these niche US shows all over the place, they stop and start seasons, they do their utmost to piss people off and then they have the nerve to whinge about a minor ch showing one or two of these shows at the same time each week. So radical eh? So folk get a chance to vent…

        1. I think Jezza, Maeve and the rest really got the point that you missed James, we’re all fed up with idiotic programming decisions, dramas being changed to different time slots days and not even being shown, inane reality like Yummy Mummies. Secondary channels being used as catch-up channel for high rating reality shows. And advertising shows on secondary channel and not even showing it, yes Seven I’m looking at in regards to 7Mate and new Family Guy/American Dad.

        2. Seriously, do you think that The Good Fight fits within sbs?
          Do you think the argument that a white lawyer working in a black law firm holds water within the charter?

          (1) The principal function of SBS is to provide multilingual and multicultural radio, television and digital media services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect Australia’s multicultural society.

          1. You could argue that it falls under this provision of the charter:

            (g) contribute to the overall diversity of Australian television and radio services.

            Either way I’m kind of glad we get to argue about The Good Fight in the comments section of a TV blog then live in a country that doesn’t have healthy and independent public broadcasting.

          2. No I don’t think that it fits within SBS but maybe the charter needs to evolve or maybe the commercial channels might need to start acting with bit of intelligence. And start embracing streaming for content they don’t want or can’t be bothered showing on TV.
            I’m just *insert words David will censor* sick of idiotic decisions.

  3. It sounds to me that the commercial networks are playing politics and ignoring reality.
    I guess the point overlooked is that any number of shows can be viewed from more than one source including streaming, if SBS are quick to see an opportunity all the best to them.

  4. maybe if they were showing wall to wall reality tv shows then the other networks may complain , maybe if the other networks didnt show all the reality tv shows then maybe they could show this tv shows just a thought

  5. You really have to laugh at these commercial free to air executives who appear to peddle complete bullshit to politicians. These are the companies which got their digital channel licences for nothing and receive Federal subsidy to go digital and a massive decrease in licence fees. The list of direct and indirect subsidy for them is now long. Now they say it isn’t a level playing field because a public broadcaster forced into a clumsy public/private advertising revenue model buys shows which people want to watch and which attracts advertisers. How they would moan if the ABC suddenly had another Sea Change which ruined their Sunday advertising revenues twenty years ago. But in those days media owners such as Kerry Packer wouldn’t let them moan but give them the rounds of the kitchen and tell them to smarten up their act and not blame the public broadcaster. That is what they are after…

  6. “It is clear they are now chasing the same programs and audience as us.
    Dear Ch7, Ch9, Ch10 and foxtel I don’t see a lot of reality tv on SBS, so how are they chasing the same programs and audience as you guys?

  7. Well if Major networks stop relying on reality tv and scheduling dramas and comedies late at night it would be an issue, but with SBS scheduling programs against the reality tv in a descent time slot which is in competition and they don’t like it!. Tough Titties.
    Perhaps the Major networks need to re think what the viewers want rather what they want the viewers to watch rather than try and pinch viewers. As people are always going to watch what they want to watch.
    One wonders what day and time of the week Brooklyn 99 would air on a commercial network. I wish The Goldbergs would move over to SBS for decent run for change.

  8. Reading between the lines 9 your pissed that you have competition when purchasing content for your paid service stan. You let arrow go to Foxtel after 3 seasons, you let the last ship go to stan after 2, you change, switch and pull drama when it suits with no regards for viewers. Your schedule is basically void of US drama and u want to cry foul when you have some competition. Please.

    Ten you took NCIS off air with 5 episodes remaining, scheduled it while off air and then changed your mind bewildering viewers and we’re still waiting to see if you’ll change your mind on the next air date. Seven you aired Derek’s death on greys anatomy in a midnight timeslot. Need I go on with the countless examples of where both of you have also treated US Drama viewers like crap.

    This article reads like a bunch of sooks who have treated US drama viewers poorly for years and now they have a…

    1. Yep Channel 7 Suits to Foxtel, Grimm to Foxtel (for first runs), A Place To Call Home cancelled but now produced by Seven for Foxtel, Channel 10 The Americans to Foxtel. Seven put Bates Motel on at Midnight as they did with Hannibal, two shows that actually would have worked on SBS to be honest. Nine throw Gotham to a is it on at 11:30pm Saturday night or is it on at Midnight or later, depends on the length of the movie, I agree a bunch of sooks, the Federal Government has waived broadcasting licence fees, so what more do they want, costs are now less.

  9. As far as I am concerned the fta chs can #$@* off with all their BS. All they ever do with US shows is just wreck them in recent years, deploying them out of order and all over the schedule and pulling them if they drop from 576 viewers to 563 on one of their multichannels. So despite the ‘rather convenient’ charter argument, I have zero sympathy with 7,9 or 10.

  10. Let me see if I’ve got this right. The commercial networks were silent when the govt slashed funding to both SBS and ABC, while at the same time holding out their begging bowl (again) because they’ve driven away their audiences with poor programming practices.

    They say that they need help because the landscape has changed but object when SBS adapts to this new paradigm by buying intelligently.

    They complain that SBS is “stealing” their shows but are quite happy to do the same when something rates well on SBS or ABC – soccer, Good News Week, Kath & Kim (again), 72’s entire schedule.

    They say that the public broadcasters need a more detailed social contract, including obligations around local content, while trying trying to wriggle out of their own social responsibilities, buying more NZ programs as “local” content, and not wanting to make children’s TV at all.

  11. You just have to look at what the commercial channels offer up and wonder why. I constantly find myself looking at SBS and SBS on Demand.
    Worner says SBS is chasing the same programs and audience as us, yeah Tim at least SBS does at least offer its audience a wide selection of programs. And they’ve embraced streaming for new content.
    If Worner and the rest want SBS to play fair, I want the commercial channels to start acting with a little bit of intelligence in terms of programming.

  12. I feel a bit sorry for SBS on this. Wasn’t it the case that The Good Fight had been floating around for months without any taker in Australia? I also honestly couldn’t see The Handmaids Tale, brilliant as it is having worked on a commercial channel here.
    ‘Tonight on Nine-Australian Ninja Warrior, followed by The Handmaids Tale’- I don’t think so!

  13. I’m normally one of the first to bag SBS for abandoning its charter. I think the network is less interesting, and Australia is poorer, for it.

    But that horse bolted 10~15 years ago.

    Hugh Marks: “And this must include an update of their charters to reflect a more detailed social contract, including obligations around local content.”

    That’s also a bit hypocritical. Replace “charters” with “legislation”, “local” with “children’s”, and it looks exactly like what commercial networks were complaining about last week…

    1. I’m with Tex on this, in that I’ve also criticised SBS in the past for abandoning its charter, and while I don’t particularly agree with SBS’ renewed focus towards US and UK content I find it hard to feel any sympathy to the commercial networks here.

      They have treated viewers with absolute disregard for years with regards to US and UK titles, so it is a bit rich for them to cry foul now.

      The latest example of this is Speechless. Not a hilarious comedy but a very watchable series. Eleven launched it at 8.00 on a Saturday night. Then it was 7.30. Then it was 11.00. Then it was 11.20. Then it was bumped out last week all together with only 2 episodes remaining. Seriously why mess with a series that’s already at 11.20 on a Saturday night that only has 2 episodes to go?!?

  14. a) If the network has been forced to raise revenue from advertising, of course it’s going to bid for content that will bring in that revenue.
    b) Programs on SBS generally start at the scheduled time & stay in the same slot each week so it is a much better customer experience than what the commercial network offer – free to air TV should serve the public, not the whims of the commercial networks.
    c) I’m fed up with the commercial networks whinging when a significant factor in their decline in viewers is that they offer content that is not worth watching. (ANW has demonstrated that the right content will attract viewers.) Their CEOs should shut up & devote more time to learning how to run their businesses.

  15. Cry me a river Seven/Nine/Ten: they’ve had their licence fees slashed, they’ve petitioned the government to stop making kids TV, and now they’re having a cry because SBS are getting some great content (which honestly wouldn’t rate on commercial anyway).

    They just want handouts and the government to protect them.

    And don’t get me started on Foxtel – its a business model that is destined to fail in the coming years.

  16. It is funny, I am happy for SBS’s recent success.
    But I enjoy SBS for it’s docos mstly and some comedy.
    Seems like the small % that SBS has concerns others. Why don’t they program their networks better and leave SBS alone!

  17. This sounds like the pot is calling the kettle black. Over the weekend two different FTA networks had “First at Five” news bulletins.

    The phrase was originally used by the TEN Network to make a distinction from those broadcasting from 6pm. Now it seems any FTA station can say they’re First at 5, if they have a bulletin starting at 5pm. Meaning we see more than one network saying they’re first from 5pm.

    1. To strip 18-34s off ABC2, Go and Eleven. .

      If the best argument SBS can come up with for meeting its charter is that one show, TGF, might meet its charter because although its a prime-time US drama where the main characters are White, the supporting characters are all African-American, it’s pretty clear they are acting in a purely commercial way.

  18. As a tax payer I fully support SBS acquiring these shows which are still I think are quite niche shows. At least on SBS I know it will be scheduled at a reasonable time, will start on time and will stay in that slot until the series is finished. If I miss it I can watch it on their excellent catch up service that works everytime for me. If the commercial networks could claim they would be able to offer me the same service with these same programs, then they may have a leg to stand on in their complaints.

  19. Boo hoo. You snooze you lose. I’m absolutely stoked that SBS are showing these series that would have been either incredibly mistreated on commercial networks or not shown at all despite the raft of multichannels… the argument here as far as I’m concerned is mute.

  20. Obviously, SBS would not have them unless the commercial channels ignored or rejected these programs….SBS does not have the buying power to compete with the commercial channels…
    So now that SBS is doing well with their rejects….or unwanteds….they are crying foul….Diddums…..Get over it…..or stop cramming your programming with reality shows…you can’t have it all…..

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